Texts in Conversation
In Leviticus 23:30 God declares that he will personally destroy anyone who works on the Day of Atonement. In the Greek Septuagint translation this is softened into a passive form stating that such a person will be destroyed without naming who is responsible, removing the language of God killing someone.
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Leviticus 23:30
Hebrew Bible
29 Indeed, any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people. 30 As for any person who does any work on this particular day, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people— 31 you must not do any work! This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all the places where you live.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
LXX Leviticus 23:30
Septuagint
29 Any person whosoever will not humble himself on this very day will be utterly destroyed from among his people. 30 And every person whosoever will engage in labor on this very day, that person will be destroyed from his people. 31 You will not perform any work; this is a perpetual law throughout your generations in all your settlements.
Date: 3rd Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Cruelty in God ... In Leviticus 23:30 – the context of which has to do with the forbidding of any work on the day of atonement –, the active verb יתדבאה ('I will destroy') is changed to the passive ἀπολεῖται ('will be destroyed'). This involves both accommodation to the context and the diminishment of God’s responsibility for the outcome ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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